


2-ply

by glass_owl



Series: There's Colour Where You're At [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 19:59:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8728171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glass_owl/pseuds/glass_owl
Summary: “Taichi!” Tendou yells, and for some obscene reason, he’s two times as loud this time. “EITA HAS SOMETHING FOR YOU-“-in which Semi tries to confess





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Lex♥, who dragged me - screaming and yelling - into kawasemi hell. Just so we're clear Lex, kawashira is still The Otp ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ slahcfkdgfhsdg (ok but you still got me. daNG IT. ) 
> 
> Also, conveniently for kawasemi day - 12/03! Unbeta'd but please enjoy!

The first time Semi tried his hand at confession, he makes the biggest mistake. He keeps the flowers in the locker room, hoping to take Kawanishi by storm and impress the younger boy with the sunset colours of the bouquet – liquid golds of chrysanthemums, marmalade hibiscuses and honey blossoms. 

_They remind me of you_ , he was supposed to say; it was supposed to be cool, cutting – suave. Except the minute he took out the bouquet, Semi finds himself saying “ _oh shit_ ” and “ _I’m so sorry_ ” a lot more instead. 

Shirabu had sent him the stink eye, eyes narrowed with a hot irritation that seemed to ask him ‘ _are you stupid?_ ”. But Semi maintains till this day that no amount of foresight could have prepared him for Kawanishi’s allergic reaction; nose red with the sniffles and eyes watering with discomfort. 

He swears he’ll get it right this time. 

Semi curls around the pillar, eying the table where Kawanishi is seated with eyes trained on the head of strawberry blond hair, willing him to turn around. He shifts his weight between his feet and gives his shoulders a good roll – he wants to look good and appealing more than anything else. 

“He’s not going to turn around just because you’re staring at him like that.”

Semi jumps in surprise, knocking his head against the pillar. He whips around quickly, face tinting pink and then some. He’s met with disinterested eyes and hair that’s a halfway denial of a bowl-cut. 

“Shirabu,” Semi says through a hiss of panic.

“You’re still trying to give him flowers?” 

Shirabu inclines his head towards the new bouquet set in his hands. This time they’re all red roses. He has twelve; only because Kawanishi is number twelve on the team. (And also because his wallet can’t afford any more than twelve, but no one has to know.)

“They’re not real this time,” Semi says agitated. He wrings his hands together, crushing the paper gauze wrapping. The bouquet switches over to one hand and the other goes up as he unconsciously twirls a lock of hair around his index finger and tugs at it a little. It’s a nervous tick that doesn’t seem to wear off with the years. Shirabu winces in pity before clicking his tongue. If there had been anything else he had wanted to say, it gets stuffed back down his throat when Tendou comes bounding over. 

“I love illegal gatherings. Super sleuth,” Tendou says, bouncing on his toes. 

“This is not an illegal gathering,” Semi retorts, face glowing and heart hammering. He shoves the bouquet behind his back, away from Tendou’s prying eyes. “There’s literally just two of us over here.”

“Not true,” Tendou probes. He peers over the pillar and hooks a thumb at Kawanishi. “Taichi’s over-,” he breaks off, making a face. Then his hands fly to his mouth, muffling the gasp that squeezes past his lips. “ _No_. Don’t tell me.” 

“Alright, I won’t.”

“Why are we spying on Taichi?”

“Should I tell him?” Shirabu says mildly. 

The exchange happens without Semi’s consent. Not that he’d been expecting much. But he hadn’t been banking on them blowing his cover. His heart stops when Tendou brings his hands up to cup around his mouth, yelling with his voice thick in his throat and full in his mouth. “TAICHI!”

The effect is instantaneous – the boy looks up and turns around in his seat. Tendou motions him over and Kawanishi doesn’t need to be prompted further. The taller boy stands up and excuses himself from his friends before he leaves. His good etiquette is charming and for a moment, Semi allows himself to stare stupidly at his would-be boyfriend. He lives in a world of denial – he refuses to acknowledge a future where Kawanishi isn’t someone to call his own.

Tendou makes a motion with his hands, goading the younger boy over and Shirabu rolls his eyes. 

“Taichi!” Tendou yells, and for some obscene reason, he’s two times as loud this time. “EITA HAS SOMETHING FOR YOU-“

He doesn’t always have the best reflexes, but this time, Semi finds himself responding like lightning. He moves on instinct and without thinking, he whips the bouquet of artificial roses right into Tendou’s face. There’s a soft ‘oomf’ followed by a “they taste bad”, and from Semi’s peripheral vision, he sees Kawanishi visibly recoil at the sight of the flowers. The taller boy stops in his tracks, eye brows lifting. 

“Don’t worry, they’re fake,” Shirabu offers. 

“I’ve never been given fake flowers before,” Kawanishi says, curious as he makes his way over.

“No one said they’re for you.” 

“They _are_ for him,” Semi interjects hotly. His nose wrinkles in distaste as he eyes Shirabu, but the latter looks unfazed. They share a moment of heated stares, and Semi silently wills them to leave him and Kawanishi to their devices. But Shirabu doesn’t seem to get the message as he looks back with hard, flinty eyes. 

“Oh,” Shirabu says simply. 

Tendou claps supportively. “Is this the part where you confess?”

Semis feels a vein pop, and he offers them a stiff-lipped smile complete with an ominous twitch. “This is the part where you leave us alone,” he grits. 

It’s enough of a cue to set them on their way, and Semi watches with relief as they remove themselves from the scene. It leaves him alone with Kawanishi, and the silence thickens between them in a kind of suffocating blank space.

“Is something wrong?” Kawanishi prompts when nothing happens for an approximate minute.

Semi short-circuits. He’d forgotten the effect Kawanishi has on him, and up close, he towers over Semi with a kind of gentle presence that’s different from Ushijima. He stumbles over his words and chokes up on his voice. He fumbles and then accidentally shoves the bouquet in Kawanishi’s face, stabbing him in the face with a plastic flower bud.

“Ouch,” Kawanishi says without emotion.

“I’m sorry!” he yelps. Semi grounds himself before he can cause any more damage, but his fingers are itching and his heart is on fire. “Uhm, do you like ice cream? Would ice cream be good for you?! These are for you, by the way!”

If he has ever laughed at Goshiki for being unconditionally enthusiastic, he regrets it now. His voice echoes a little in the room and one of Kawanishi’s friends throws a look their way. To hide his mounting embarrassment and possible shame, Semi finds himself ducking his head to avoid eye contact before he sticks out an arm to offer the roses. 

"Right now?" Kawanishi asks. He sounds more amused than anything else, and Semi feels himself sink lower into the ground.

With his head still ducked down, he mumbles, "Right now would be really nice." 

“That would be nice,” Kwanishi hums, agreeably. He takes the bouquet and inspects it, interest piqued. He looks over his shoulder to where his friends are studying – perfectly diligent, like Kawanishi replicas. “I’m afraid I’m not free right now, though.”

Semi feels his heart dig a hole to the other side of the world. He looks up, wincing; he didn't even get a chance. Rejection came too fast, he thinks. “O-Oh. That’s okay. I just, ah, I just wanted you to know.” His heart rocks between the bones of his ribs and it’s not the best feeling. It gets a little awkward after that and he wants the floor to open up and take him away. Anxiety creeps up and unconsciously, he gets his fingers curled around a lock of hair. 

“Maybe I should’ve paraphrased things. That wasn’t a rejection,” Kawanishi tells him. His voice is soft, and Semi finds himself wondering if his hands are even softer. 

“Huh? I-“

Kawanishi points at the hair curled around Semi’s finger. “You do that a lot,” he says quietly. “Especially when you’re nervous or when Tendou-san makes a lousy block on court.”

“Oh.” Semi wants to sound brave but his voice is all but that; it comes out as a squeak and it has Kawanishi laughing. Semi yanks his finger away, blush creeping up his face. He didn’t think it was that bad of a habit, but this exchange clearly tells him otherwise.

“Maybe we can study together tomorrow and get ice cream after?” Kawanishi offers him, eyes softening at the corners with a deep warmth that does funny things to Semi’s heart.

Semi perks. “Yes!” Semi gushes. He comes off as too eager once more, and he sounds almost stupid as he continues to babble without watching his words. “Studying! Yes of course, I’d love to! I love studying!”

But in the end, he thinks it’s all worth it when Kawanishi smiles a little, his neutral expression slowly easing into something shy but quietly happy. Kawanishi looks back at his friends and although rueful, still concedes the need to return to his studies. “I’ll have to go now," he says. "Is it okay if I text you later?”

It’s more than okay, really. In fact, it would be the best thing ever. But Semi’s supposed to be cool; so he keeps his composure and raises a hand to say goodbye. “I’ll talk to you later then,” he says through a dreamy sigh as Kawanishi takes his leave. 

Semi stands there, smitten; melted to the ground. And he would have loved to stay in his daydream, mind clouded and vision pink but Tendou ruins the moment for him. 

“’I love studying’,” Tendou laughs. “Really, Eita? Do you?”

“Fuck off,” Semi groans. He should’ve known they’d be listening. But there’s a silly love-stricken smile painted on his face, mouth stretching over a giddy grin that won’t smooth out no matter how hard he tries.

“You’re really funny when you’re in love,” Shirabu says, voice flat. “Tell me again how it went from you trying to ask Taichi out to Taichi asking you out?”

“ _Arghhh, shut up!_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh,,, it's really short but shy semi just kills me orz I just. *loud, empty screaming*  
>  ~~that's one less thing to do on my to-do list...!~~
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr❀](http://swallowtail-butterflys.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter❀](https://twitter.com/sepulchrate) !
> 
> EDIT: now complete with beautiful, _beautiful_ artwork by [Lex♡](http://swallowtail-butterflys.tumblr.com/post/154014830193/lexori-happy-kawasemi-day-made-a-pic-based-on) !


End file.
